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Vardhman Mahavir Medical College or VMMC for short, is the fifth medical college, recently opened in New Delhi. It is attached with the famous Safdarjang Hospital for clinical teaching.[1] The college is running under the umbrella of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
Vardhman Mahavir Medical College was established at Safdarjung Hospital in November 2001. Padma Shree Dr. Jagdish Prasad is the founder Principal of the college.
The foundation stone of the medical college was laid by our then Honourable Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 17 December 2001 in presence of the then Honourable Home Minister Shri L.K.Advani and Honourable Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. C.P. Thakur . On 20 November 2007 Shri M. Hamid Ansari,our Honourable Vice President has dedicated the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College building to the nation in the presence of Honourable Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.
The first batch of MBBS students joined the college in February 2002 and they have completed their MBBS. The college has recognition by the Medical Council of India.
The college is affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh I P University, Delhi. From 2008 onwards the post graduate courses are also affiliated to GGSIP University which were with Delhi University till now..
Although the college began on a very modest note on infrastructure carved out of the portions of the Safdarjang Hospital, today it is housed in a state of art centrally air-conditioned building . We have a separate Library building also with excellent collection of Medical books, Journals and Internet facility. Not only with regard to material infrastructure, the college has a very competent faculty in the pre, para clinical and clinical disciplines. The faculty consists of over 295 doctors who are highly qualified in their respective fields, possessing post-graduate qualifications . It is needless to emphasize that large number of the faculty members are of national and international repute with research papers, books publication and editorship of the journals to their credit. Some of the faculty members are the members of the executive bodies of the National/international Association/Academy and few of them are holding elected offices of the president of such associations. A large number of training workshops (including WHO workshops), CME’s seminars are being conducted here. Research activities of the highest order are undertaken in all the disciplines of medicine and our institute is a centre for the research projects of ICMR, CSIR and WHO in some of the departments.
Safdarjung Hospital started as an American Army Base Hospital during the II World war. In 1947 it was made annexe to Irwin Hospital (Presently LNJP Hospital). It was taken over by the Central Government in 1954 and named as Safdarjung Hospital. Until the inception of All India Institute of Medical Science in 1956, Safdarjung Hospital was the only tertiary care hospital in South Delhi. Based on the needs and developments in medical care the hospital has been regularly upgrading its facilities from diagnostic and therapeutic angles in all the specialties. The hospital when started in 1942 had only 204 beds, which has since increased to 1531 beds. The hospital provides medical care to millions of citizens not only of Delhi but also the neighbouring states free of cost. Safdarjung Hospital is a Central Government Hospital under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and is receives its budget from the Ministry. Safadarjung Hospital has a Medical College associated with it named Vardhman Mahavir Medical College.
Padma Shree Dr. Jagdish Prasad is the founder Principal of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and the Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital. Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University has appointed Dr. Prasad as Dean of School of Medicine and Para-Medical health Sciences.
Dr. Prasad did his MBBS and MS (General Surgery) from AIIMS in 1977 & 1981 respectively. He did his super specialization (MCh) in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery from KEM Hospital, Mumbai in 1985. He has also done DNB in Cardiothoracic surgery in 1986.
Dr. Prasad is associated with Safdarjung Hospital since the past 22 years. He became the Medical Superintendent of this hospital in 2000. During that tenure he brought revolutionary changes in the Hospital like bringing advanced technology to the hospital, New Multistorey OPD Block construction and starting Vardhman Mahavir Medical College.
He has also played an important role in formulating major policies in the public health care system vis-à-vis private sector. As a Cardiac Surgeon, performed so many outstanding surgeries & presented various papers at National & International seminars and also organized seminars/workshops/symposiums at National & International level. In recognition of this contribution to the field of Medicine, particularly Cardiac Surgery at Safdarjung Hospital, the President has conferred on him the Padma Shree Award in 1991.
He has 18 national and five international publications to his credit. Dr. Prasad has a teaching experience of 26 years and is an examiner for DNB and MCh in various universities for the past 18 years.
In June 2010 medical services were paralysed at the Safdarjung Hospital as nearly 400 junior resident doctors of Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) went on a hunger strike, hoping to stir the authorities into action after their longstanding demand for better facilities in the college and hospital was being met with apathy. The students had been demanding basic facilities like drinking water and clean toilets inside the college and hostel.After VMMC authorities refused to speak to the doctors, students threatened to escalate the protests with the Postgraduate doctors at the hospital threatening to join the strike.The students alleged that the administration had refused to resolve simple problems like drinking water, lifts and air-conditioning in the hostel.
As a consequence of the strike by students, the medical services at the hospital were hit hard. There was chaos following the forced closure of the out-patient departments. More than 8,000 patients had to bear the brunt of the ongoing agitation.
The decision to end the strike came after the hospital authorities held rounds of talks with the agitating students and resident doctors and urged them to resume OPD services and call off the protests which had severely hit hospital services.
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